A DeRidder man was convicted on Thursday of breaking into the home of an elderly woman and raping her in 2019.

A Beauregard Parish jury returned the guilty verdicts on both counts, first-degree rape and unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, against 46 year-old Ezra Coutee following a four-day trial and two hours of deliberations.

Coutee faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

District Attorney James Lestage said the conviction was a “measure of justice” for the case’s 70 year-old victim.

“Everyone in my office, the sheriff’s office, the Southwest Louisiana Crime Lab, and the North Louisiana Crime Lab worked tirelessly to make sure we had all of the facts and evidence and could present all of it to a jury. Ezra J. Coutee, II is an extremely dangerous individual. The mandatory life sentence for first degree rape will be imposed and our community will be safer for it,” Lestage said.

Coutee was arrested in May 2019 in Lafayette Parish after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

According to authorities, on the morning of April 20 the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office received an emergency call reporting that a male subject had entered the home of an elderly woman without permission and had raped her.

The victim told investigators that she had been able to flee the home and call 911 from a neighbor’s residence.

Coutee was identified as a person of interest based on a description from the victim and DNA confirmation from tests conducted on belongings left behind at the crime scene.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant DA Wayne Bush who said he was pleased with the jury’s verdict and hoped the outcome would provide some peace for the victim.